Chapter 5 Nobusada Stands on Bare Earth

After tidying up the hut, I immediately go outside.

Shouldering the rucksack, with sword in hand, I commence the investigation of the vicinity. There might be things that I can't touch with bare hands, so I've put some old rag in the hut into the rucksack. Now I can gather anything.
For now, let's appraise everything I see.

Hira Grass
Ingredient of Potion. You can expect some healing effect just by chewing it raw. But, it's bitter.

Gedo Grass
Ingredient of Cure Potion. You can expect some detox effect just by sticking it on the affected part or chewing it. But, it's very bitter.

Do these taste explanations keep appearing because of my Housework skill? But well I am currently putting them in my mouth.
I spit them out immediately though.
I don't know what will happen in the future, so I gather these grass by wrapping them with an old rag, pulling them by the roots, and then putting them into the rucksack. I might be able to sell them in a city, or maybe I can even make potion myself once I've learned how to make one. I'd like to spread my antenna wide like this. You don't know what'll come out of it after all.

"Oh is this...Akebi...?"<TLN: Akebia quinata.>

The fruit that I picked up looked similar to an akebi, but there was something obviously different compared to the one from earth. I inadvertently tilt my head in puzzlement.

Akebi 48
A slightly sweet-tasting fruit, but it has a bit too many seeds making it hard to eat. A variant that always has 48 fruits in a tuft. Once the season is over, the fruit graduates from the tuft one by one. Whether the fallen fruit will bud or not, depends on each fruit.

No comment please. For now, I'll pluck off all the fruits I can. Amen.

I also found bananas, oranges, and mangos. It made me doubt the ecosystem of this forest, but since it's not harming anyone, I decide not to mind it.
When I think about it, these earthen fruits commonly exist here, I wonder if this world is related with Earth somehow. Perhaps it's similar to the relationship between me and Gune. I keep diligently gathering fruits and herbs while thinking about that. My nature is that of a poor man....

"Hm?"

Was it just my imagination? I had a feeling like there was something....

"Just my imagination huh."

And just when I bent down to resume gathering herbs.
BAM, something hit me on the back.

"HYOWAAAA"

I reflexively screamed strangely due to the sudden event as I rolled forward once. That was close, I was about to get stabbed by my own sword.
I turn back and visually check the thing that bumped into me.
There is a green globe (?) jumping around.
I appraise that globe while inhaling my breath.

M-moss ball!? The one from Hokkaido? Why is it a monster? Shouldn't the first monster be slime or goblin? Moss ball.... The souvenir from Hokkaido that's said to be actually handmade by aunties and made 100 millions or something annually. To be honest, after watching that, my impression about moss balls in souvenir shops changed. Of course I didn't buy them.

No wait, that's an enemy. At the very least, it's not an imitation made by an auntie.
The moss ball is ramming itself toward me like a super ball without letting out any sound.
It was quite fast but I was able to barely evade it, it hit the tree behind and rebounded.
Bounce, I reacted hurriedly to the dull sound and bent over to evade it again.
And then, bounce, bounce, the moss ball jumped up and down while rebounding. Is it gradually speeding up?
Should I cut it by matching the timing? No way, no way, it's impossible for an amateur to hit that with a sword, I only believe I could.
In desperation, I strongly grip my sword and hold it in front of me. I hope it gets tired soon so I can attack it..... Huh? Can a moss ball get tired?

Bounce bounce, bounce bounce, splat.

Splat? The moss ball that's been cut in two falls on the ground. The fallen moss ball disappeared into particles of light.

"Oh, is this really ok. A godsend victory like this...."

Tereretettette~♪ Nobusada leveled up.

An announcement with fanfare played in my head. Where did it come from!? It sounded like a woman's voice.
It happens often in games, but when you actually experience it yourself, it's quite a horror.
Since there's nothing I can do about it, let's check my status for now.

Oh! It really went up. Wonder why, I feel somehow happy even though I only leveled up by one.
Then it suddenly hit me, maybe that fanfare was rang by the Goddess of Growth and Talent Levelitt? She controls growth after all.
After encountering the moss ball, I had confirmed that there are monsters for sure in this forest, so I decided to go back to the hut for now. To be honest, it was because I felt that I really was just a frail child of modern era who's weak against pain.
After taking some rest inside the hut and having confirmed my HP recovery, I look for prey while trying not to stray far from the hut. If possible, I hope the prey is the seemingly weakest monster, Moss ball. I recall the days my younger self playing a certain national RPG where I stayed in the initial map killing slimes and goblins until I got to level l0.

I found the moss balls camping inside a thicket after searching for five minutes. There's three of them.

Three moss balls huh.... If I can kill one of them, I should be able to deal with the other two if I go at it calmly. But how do I get close without them noticing? I tried to simulate it in my head, but I couldn't get it right.
I accidentally spotted a moderately sized stone below. Maybe I could distract them if I throw this?
I've got nothing to lose anyway, might as well give it a go. I can safely escape as long as I keep my distance. I'll hide in the hut if things look dangerous.
After my optimistic side wins, I take action. While being careful not to get noticed, I threw the stone at the moss balls with all my might.

Zubish!

The stone made a clean hit on one of the moss balls. And then it stopped moving.

Tettere~♪ Learned skill 【Throwing】 Lv1.

I had no spare time to worry about the announcement ringing inside my head. The moss ball I hit has stopped moving, but the other two are heading here. These guys are the type that can link together huh.
Next, I took out a knife in my rucksack and threw it at another moss ball. Oh, it felt like I threw better than I did earlier somehow.

Stab!

The knife lodged in the moss ball. Looks like it hasn't died, but it seems to have lost its balance as it rolls on the ground instead of jumping.
I pick up the sword I left sticking the ground and slash the last one.

Slice!

The iron sword I swung from above cut the moss ball in two without resistance.
My body feels obviously lighter compared to the first battle. Looks like this is a world where the effect of level up is remarkably obvious.

"Oops, not good. Gotta deliver the finishing blow to the last moss ball."

If I don't finish things off, someday I'm the one that would be finished instead. I cut the rolling moss ball, ending it properly.

Tereretettette~♪ Nobusada leveled up.

I'm grateful for the level goddess for doing her job, but it sure weakens the tension.
Well, I can't be spoiled. Let's appraise myself at once.

It's the throwing earlier huh. It's plain but useful.
Err, isn't the MP growth strange?
It's increasing by a factor of two.... W-well, for now let's not mind it. I can't use magic anyhow. Wonder if I could clad my weapon and body with mana. It's one of the classics, isn't it.
To live is to try. Mana mana.... Muu, ah, I might feel something warm and fluffy around the point below my navel.

Tettere~♪ Learned skill 【Mana Clad】 Lv1.

Eh!? I was just trying to see if I could y'know? Just how good is this body's affinity with magic.
Looking closer, I feel like I see something faint covering my whole body. Is this mana? As for my weapon.... Looks like it doesn't cover that one yet.
I wonder if the strength of my punch increases in this state? You often see it in manga, the moment they punch, BAM, a tree breaks down.

BAM!

"Owowowowow"

I hurt my wrist.

Afterward, as a result of several rounds of battle against moss balls, magic clad currently only raised my defense slightly. I also learned that it went up to 5.